Side plate for railroad car



May 6, 1969 R. MOWATT-LARSSEN SIDE PLATE FOR RAILROAD CAR Filed May 4, 1957 FOI/f INVENTOR. M421 BY May 6, 1969 R, MowATT-LARssEN 3,4421225 SIDE PLATE FOR RAILROAD CAR United StatesA Patent O 3,442,225 SIDE PLATE FOR RAILROAD CAR Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Fayson Lakes, NJ., assignor to Fruehauf Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 4, 1967, Ser. No. 636,179 Int. Cl. B61d 17/06; E04b 2/56; E04c 3/32 U.S. Cl. 105--409 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE 'Ihe extruded side plate strengthens the top 'of the side sheets and posts and is provided with a strain relief side to permit expansion to prevent cracking and to compensate for shrinkage due to welding. The side plates form a support for the roof and the crossbows thereof when used. The arrangement also permits the fabrication of the roof separately from the car which may, after assembly, be moved on to the top of the side plate and be permanently secured thereto as by Welding when the top of the car is to be covered.

This invention relates to side plates for railroad cars and particularly to an extruded side plate for the top of the side sheets and posts of an open top or covered railroad car.

Background of the invention The novelty of the invention pertains to the particular form. of the side plate employed at the top of the side sheets and posts of a railroad car. The closest art which is known is that disclosed in the patent to Gilpin, No. 2,460,982, issued Feb. 8, 1949, for Extruded Frame Member. The extruded member is of box section construction and provided with top and side anges which are secured to the `side and roof plates by rivets.

Summary ofthe invention.

The extruded side plate of the present invention has -a flange which is disposed in continuation of the side sheets of the car, a top section and an outer side which is curved to permit deformation under stress to avoid cracking and to function as an expansion joint. The bottom is open having inwardly extending sections which [rest upon the ends of the posts and are welded thereto. The posts and side sheets are made of aluminum the same as the side plate. When the car is to be covered the crossbows beneath the top plates of the car roof extend between the side plates. The roof is preferably independently fabricated and applied to the top opening and welded to the side plates.

Brie]c description of the drawings FIGURE l is a broken view in elevation of a railroad car body having a side plate thereon embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. l, taken on the line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a broken view of a hopper type of railroad car body, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, taken on the line 4 4 thereof.

Description of the preferred embodiments The railroad car illustrated in FIGURE 1 has a plurality of side sheets 11 which are made of aluminum or like metal and welded together and to a plurality of side posts 412 and to a side sill 13. The posts and sill are preferably extruded from aluminum or like metal and the post has an end face 14, `sloping side faces 15 and end ice anges 16 which are secured to the sheets 11 by welds 17.

The side plate 18 is made of aluminum or like extrudable metal having a vertical tlange 19 which rests upon the top of the side sheets 11 and which extends inwardly at 21 and upwardly at 22. The upwardly extending portion 22 slopes outwardly from the vertical to a top seetion 23 which slopes downwardly to mate with the slope of the roof plates which rest thereon when the car is to be covered. A front face 24 bulges inwardly being of arcuate forms struck on a substantial radius and terminating in an end portion 25. The end portion 25 and an inwardly extending portion 26 from the flange 19 rest upon the top of the posts 12. The anges 16 of the post are welded to the ange 19 by a continuation of the weld 17 and the end portion 25 is welded to the face 14 of the posts by a weld 27.

The side plates substantially strengthen the sheets 11 l and posts 15 at opposite sides of the car and any stresses or strains are relieved by the bulging portion 24 which may be deflected thereby permitting expansion of the walls and preventing any cracking of the material due to strain. The side plates can form a support for roof plates 28 when used, and which preferably may be separately assembled on crossbows 29 which may be of U-shape, T-shape or any 4other con-figuration. When using such a prefabricated roof it will drop within the opening defined by the sloping upwardly extending portions 22 of the two side plates 18. The plates 28 are secured by welds 31 to the section 23 of the side plate-s and the bows 29 are secured to the upwardly extending portions 22 by the weld 32. The bows 29 are secured to the roof plates 28 by welds 33. The roof thus attached prevents the side plates 18 from moving outwardly due to excessive loads on the sheets 11.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a further form of side plates 35 is illustrated mounted on the top of the side sheets 11 and the posts 12 at one side of a railroad car. The side plate has an inner wall 36 from which a ange 37 extends outwardly and a portion 38 therebelow which abuts the ends of the side sheets 11 and mates with the flanges 16 of the posts 12 to which the lower portion 38 is secured by the continuation of the weld 17 which secures the anges 16 to the side sheets 11. The upwardly extending wall 36 is joined to a top wall 39 which is herein illustrated as being horizontally disposed. It is to be understood that the top wall -rnay be sloped the same as the slope provided on the top wall 23 of the side plate 1-8. A front wall 41 is arched downwardly from the outer end on the top wall 39 to be bowed inwardly relative to a bottom ange 42 which is aligned with the liange 37. The arched outer wall permits the expansion and contraction of the side plate and absorbs any strains which may occur in the side plate to prevent the cracking of the metal thereof. The flanges 37 and 42 are welded to the posts in the manner as pointed out hereinabove.

The car on which the side plate 35 is secured, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is of the hopper type and in most cases would not have a roof applied thereto. However, in case it is desirable to have a roof applied to the hopper type of car, this may be separately constructed and applied between the side plates 35 in the manner as pointed out hereinabove with regard to the structure of FIGURES 1 and 2.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a railroad car side sheet, side posts secured to said side sheet, a side plate comprising an elongated unitary monolithic extruded metallic member, said member including an inner wall, a portion extending downwardly from said inner wall and engaging and being secured to said side sheet, said inner wall joining a generally horizontal outwardly extending top wall which joins a 4curved outer Wall, said outer wall being curved in la manner to permit expansion and contraction of said member, a iiange extending inwardly from the lower end 'of said outer wall, and a ange extending outwardly from said inner wall, said flanges being substantially coplanar and lying in a substantially horizontal plane and being in opposed spaced relationship to one another to dene a slot therebetween.

2. Apparatus as dened in claim 1 wherein said downwardly extending portion is disposed in engagement with said posts, the lower edge of said downwardly extending portion being in abutting relationship with the upper edge of said side sheet.

3. Apparatus as dened in claim 1 wherein said inner Wall includes a lower portion sloping upwardly and inwardly from said downwardly extending portion.

4. Apparatus as delined in claim 3 wherein said inner wall includes an upper portion which slopes upwardly and outwardly from Vertical.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner wall includes a portion oset inwardly from said downwardly extending portion.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said downwardly extending portion is disposed substantially on the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,555 4/1936 Thompson 10.5 401 2,145,064 1/1939 Thompson 105-401 2,462,415 2/1949 Nager 52-281 2,901,283 8/1959 Caroli 10s-409 2,983,401 5/1961 Murphy 52-573 2,986,245 5/1961 Tomo 52-573 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 52--45, 282, 573, 731 

